Should B.C. lower speed limits on side roads to 30 km/h?

A Vancouver city councillor wants speed limits on side roads across the province to be the same as school zones.

In a motion to be put forward next week, Pete Fry said lowering the current speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour to 30 km would create “safer, better engaged, healthier and more inclusive communities.”

His motion follows similar calls made by the government’s BC Road Safety Strategy, the Provincial Health Services Authority, and the Road Safety Law Reform Group.

Pedestrian survival is about 90 per cent if they are hit by a vehicle travelling at 30 km per hour, according to ICBC. That drops to as low as 20 per cent if the vehicle is moving even 20 kilometres faster.

In Vancouver, we already have 30k/h speed limits in school zones, by parks and on designated bike routes for good reason: We know that the probability of death or serious injury is significantly higher at the default speed limit of 50k/h (31mph). Speed kills. pic.twitter.com/ekDwQpYntQ

Fry wants the City of Vancouver to present a resolution to the Union of BC Municipalities and lobby the province to make the lowered speed the default limit, while giving individual municipalities the power to increase speed limits along local streets on a case-by-case basis.

He’s also looking for his city to pilot the speed-limit change to collect data before and after, and determine any design changes needed along the roads.